Violets to My Love
by Farina's Pegasus
Summary: Hinoka and Camilla are beginning to bond over a mutual problem, but is there something deeper than friendship in bloom? Meanwhile, mischief of its own may be brewing between a pair of princes. Cover image not mine.
1. One: Breaking Point

**This story is _not_ going to be completed, sorry. I forgot about it for too long and then the document containing my plans and drafts of the next chapters was deleted, so, no more updates, I'm sad to say.  
**

* * *

After the war had ended, Hinoka was one of the army who had never married. During the endless battles, travels and danger, everyone seemed to have their partner by the time they had all settled down to live in the Hoshidan palace. Even the commander herself had wedded Hinoka's brother, and Takumi was the one she least expected to wed and have children- much less youngsters as upbeat as Kana and Kigari. Needless to say, life in peace wasn't as fulfilling as the sky knight had been expecting.

Yet what she also didn't expect was a series of events that changed her life. For Hinoka, it all started a few months after the day Garon had been vanquished. Since Mary now had Takumi to be with, her former closest friend- the disillusioned and lonely Camilla- turned to the red-haired sky knight to take under her wing.

And a lovely wing it was.

* * *

Even though no Faceless had been seen since Garon's defeat, Hinoka hadn't ceased her training regime. Should she stop, her skills might fade away in time. At least, that was what she told herself ever since the grief of losing Mary to the Nohrians, so many years ago.

Hinoka sighed once her thoughts strayed to the commander. She stroked her beloved pegasus's mane as he folded his great wings, leading him to the nearby stables. As usual, the sky knight was alone, a short walk from camp, and her arms were getting sore from lifting lances for the better part of the day. The sun was low enough in the sky to signal it was time to head back.

Once she saw the orange sky, Hinoka remembered that it would also be time for everyone to assemble for the evening meal. If she was lucky, she could avoid attending tonight and take her meal later. It wasn't likely her presence would be missed, now that the Nohrian and Hoshidan forces had merged and their numbers swelled-

"Oh! S-Sister, I didn't see you! I'm so sorry!"

An abrupt turn of her head revealed the source of the shout. Hinoka had walked into none other than her wide-eyed brother, behind the stable's door. Takumi wasn't alone either. Pressed underneath him was Mary, holding onto both of his hands, her hair disheveled. From their posture, the couple had been about to share a kiss.

Forcing herself to look amused, Hinoka waved her hand in dismissal.

"It's nothing to worry about, Brother. I'll let you two be. Forgive me for the interruption."

It would have been impossible for Hinoka's smile to sustain more than a moment. She could faintly hear Takumi's hasty apology before she was out of earshot, but didn't catch a single word. Her horse was ruffling his wings and pawing the ground.

When the area was silent again, Hinoka led her pegasus to the nearest stall that wasn't facing the way she'd come from. Her hands were gripping the reins so tightly the animal let out an irritated snort before she loosened them.

"Why the stable, of all places? They have the private quarters! The indecency..."

It was merely a moment of passion while they were on an errand, Hinoka knew, although that didn't comfort her. Mary and her husband needed to start behaving in a way befitting nobles if they wanted to maintain order.

* * *

Everyone had already gathered by the mess hall once Hinoka arrived. She could see Orochi nearby, sitting at an outdoor table and talking merrily with Leo on a topic that seemed related to scrolls. Disinterested, Hinoka hurried away before either of them saw her.

At long last reaching her room, the sky knight was never more grateful for the isolation. With a long sigh, she sat heavily on her bed, rested her forehead in her palm and thought about allowing herself to cry. The sight of her brother about to kiss Mary was somehow awkward, embarrassing, frustrating and tragic all at once, and it brought all her repressed feelings of resentment to light. For months, the princess had been bearing the burden of watching someone she loved break away from her. Just when Hinoka thought life might finally be peaceful, she had a whole new problem to deal with, and this one couldn't be tackled with a lance in hand.

"Hinoka? Dear, are you in there?"

It was Camilla's voice, with the gentle tone of one speaking to an injured animal. Wiping her wet eyes with a finger, Hinoka cleared her throat and spoke as clearly as she could.

"Yes, what do you need?"

"May I come in?"

"I... I suppose so."

Camilla entered the small room, making sure to properly close the door. Sitting a safe space away from the distraught Hinoka, her guest asked her in a soft voice if she was crying.

"N-no, I haven't. Not at all." Hinoka insisted, although she knew it was too late to hide her distress.

"Oh, come now." Camilla shook her head, now using the loving voice she usually reserved for Mary. "I can tell you're upset, unless someone else was crying on this bed a minute ago. Will you tell me what's troubling you, dear?"

Hinoka knew that she had to relent, or Camilla wouldn't leave her alone. Still, maybe it would be helpful to confess her problem to someone who wasn't the commander. After all, Hinoka couldn't imagine having a calm discussion with Takumi if he had the slightest suspicion of blame.

"It's… it's a bit hard to explain. But I think you might know a little about it, how it feels to watch someone grow up, and break away from you..."

"Are you talking about Mary?"

Hinoka nodded, despite detecting a spark of agitation. Camilla seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing what people wanted, without the need for asking them.

"Then I'm not surprised at all, dear. Mary has been leaving the rest of us all alone an awful lot, hasn't she?"

"She has. She's always with Takumi now. All hours of the day. But isn't it kind of selfish to want to have her back? I... I should be happy for them, shouldn't I?"

Uncertainty flickered in Camilla's eyes, as deep purple as her hair.

"Perhaps. But I miss the little girl I would tuck into bed every night. She won't even allow me to hug her for longer than a moment, you know. I almost long for the time when their young love is going to slow down, however far away that may be."

Hinoka was moved enough to sit closer to Camilla. The sorrow was real in her voice, and Hinoka could understand why. Mary had spent a lot of time away from Nohr, and Camilla had to live with someone she loved fighting against her own flesh and blood.

"I'll just try to accept it. That's all I can do."

Hinoka broke the silence, feeling a twinge of relief despite her melancholic surrender. Why hadn't she sought out Camilla to confide in before? She'd know better than anyone what she was going through.

"As will I, Princess Hinoka."

"Heh, you can just call me the last bit. No need for fancy titles here."

Hinoka made a sniffling noise in response, smiling at last. Camilla had opened her arms and, although she wasn't one for affection most times, the sky knight let herself enter them. Camilla's hair was heavy and soft around her shoulders, like a blanket.

"Then, my dear Hinoka, remember that you're never alone. If you are ever in need of a loving hand, or a listening ear, I will be more than happy to oblige."

As she spoke, Hinoka could feel something moving down her spine. It was the same feeling that hearing Camilla speak had always brought in her; a feeling of unease, but not related to fear. She wiggled out of Camilla's tight hug and concluded their talk with a hasty sentence.

"I-I'll be at the mess hall. I'd better hurry if I'm going to eat tonight."

"Very good! May I join you?"

"Of course. Maybe we can talk about something happier, if you'd like. Sorry for putting all this gloomy stuff on you, Camilla."

"It's no trouble at all, sweetie."


	2. Two: Problem

**Part two... I drafted this entire thing in one sitting. o_O  
There will probably be two further installments, possibly three.  
**

* * *

Although Hinoka's feelings didn't stray from the conversation with Camilla that night, she couldn't have prepared herself for the next day. Waking up to find her favorite outfit had been placed on the foot of her bed, the princess extended a hand to grab it with drowsy slowness. The fabric was soft and still faintly warm in her hands. It must have been Camilla who washed it. Men _were_ forbidden to enter the women's rooms unless granted permission, after all.

As she dressed, Hinoka could tell it would be a quiet day. The only noises outside were the cries of Kana and Kigari in a game. The two boys were others Hinoka had strange feelings about. On the one hand, they were the prime of youthful innocence and enthusiasm. On the other, they caused enough mischief to make the likes of Orochi proud. Maybe she should greet them this morning, Hinoka mused, if only to curb any risky activity they might be planning. Days ago, they'd taken a hunting trip that resulted in a sprained ankle, a missing bow and an empty quiver.

"You're awake already? My dear, you don't need to rise with the sun every morning!"

Camilla's voice floated from nearby as Hinoka left her room. Camilla was waiting for her in the foyer, and Hinoka was pleased to return the hug bestowed on her. She noticed with a trace of admiration that Camilla was wearing a very different array of clothing today; a purple dress that came down to her thighs with a pleated skirt, and knee-high black tights. She had completed this with a flowered band in her hair.

"No need to worry, I've slept enough." Hinoka said, suddenly feeling shabby by comparison. "But forget that, you've sure dressed up today. Are we going to a wedding or something?"

"Oh, no, dear. Nothing fancy like that. Why, I was just going to ask if you would join me on a trip to Hoshido square? Perhaps I can find you an even prettier outfit than that! Forgive me if pink isn't quite your color."

"Not exactly, but thanks anyway." Hinoka hid her slight blush with a laugh. "And of course I'll come along! I'd hate for you to be alone."

"I won't be, dearie. Others are going too, but you can stick close to me."

* * *

It was the perfect day for shopping. In the square, the sky was bright and cloudless, the streets thick with customers and merchants alike. Already, new stores had cropped up in the flourishing city after the war. To Hinoka, it all revived the bittersweet memory of the morning Mary had arrived in the home of her birth.

But with Camilla at her side, negative feelings couldn't survive. The pair's first destination was the largest clothing supply Hinoka had ever seen. Such an array of colors, textures and decorations was the stuff of any woman's dream. When her eyes fell upon a pale red set with a matching skirt, the Hoshidan's face flushed and she whispered to Camilla if she might make a brief trip to the fitting area.

"Of course! Take all the time you need, I'll just be finding a little something for myself."

Delighted, Hinoka made her way to the closest-sized stall. In her excitement, she hardly realized the glances she was taking in the mirror every now and then. Although she was never proud of nor concerned about her body, soon she was looking at herself with a strangely scrutinizing eye.

In the back of her mind, she recalled the time when Camilla had threatened her, after the defeat at the Hoshidan castle. Terrified of being killed then and there, Hinoka would never forget Camilla's remark that her face was fully adorable. That was probably the first sign of kinship between the two princesses, and yet, it wasn't reliving that memory that made Hinoka's face feel warm. There could be something in the store she could buy for Camilla, although she would need to determine first if it fit or not... And perhaps...

"Hinoka, sweetie? Have you tried it on? I'm sure you look so darling in it, let me see!"

"S-Sorry, I'll be right out! Just... gimme a moment."

It was a good thing Hinoka managed not to rip the delicate, lace-fringed pants as she hastily stripped them off. It didn't help that Camilla was still standing so close by, with only a thin door separating them.

"Are you having trouble, dear?"

"I-I mean, I'll just be another minute. It's kinda hard to take this off."

"I can help you, if you'd like."

"No!"

Had she just shouted? Horrified, Hinoka fell silent and listened without breathing.

"Oh, very well. You're not upset, are you, dear? You seem to be a bit off today."

Hinoka waited to answer until she was fully clothed, afraid that she'd upset Camilla. To her relief, the Nohrian princess extended an arm around Hinoka's shoulders as a silent gesture of "all is forgiven" once she reappeared.

"I'm alright, honest." Hinoka said, finding a genuine smile when Camilla ruffled her hair as a grandmother might with her favorite niece. "And besides, it's not time to worry now, right? We still have so many more places to go!"

"Right you are! But before we go, is that outfit to your liking? I must say, I wish I could see for myself how cute it would look on you."

"O-of course, I love you. I mean- I mean I love it! Gods... I'll take it, Camilla."

Blushing as red as the shirt's fabric, Hinoka didn't wait for a response. Cursing at her haste under her breath, she paid the fee with the spare gold she'd been saving, hoping her flush was fading. Why now, of all times, did her impulse for blunt speech have to take over?

"There you are!"

If it wasn't Camilla's voice, Hinoka would have gasped in fright when a hand touched her shoulder. The Nohrian warrior didn't appear troubled, her smile as easy and adoring as ever.

"Promise me you won't go running off like that again! Now, are you ready to head to the market? You must be getting hungry with all the walking we've done."

"I won't, if you'll take me to my favorite place."

The rest of the trip passed without incident. To Hinoka's gratitude, the awkward moments went unmentioned, and long before they'd reached the restaurant she was steady again. Maybe Camilla simply hadn't heard her, it was understandable in a fairly busy store at the height of the day.

Or, maybe she had.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Takumi and Mary were returning from an excursion of their own. They too had gone to the square for shopping and sightseeing, though no one else had offered to accompany them. And despite Mary's resolutions to stick to a planned list, her and Takumi had wound up visiting almost every store and merchant stall in the entire capital.

The journey home had proved too tiring for Mary after the halfway mark. Once she tired, however, instead of making his wife persevere, Takumi had simply hoisted her by the arms and legs onto her back and carried her. Although Mary was a small woman, the weight of her bags was quite a handicap.

"Good thing _you're_ not too heavy." Takumi said once they had reached a wooded path, his breathing slightly heavy. "But can you try for the rest of the way? I'm already due for a trip to the hot spring as is."

"Since you asked nicely, I suppose I can."

Mary slid off Takumi's back as easily as if she'd been energized. Her husband laughed aloud, setting down his bags on the ground and crossing his arms.

"Don't tell me you were just pretending!"

"Of course not, I'd never do such a thing. But as long as we're here, why don't we have a short break? We're not due home until nightfall."

Takumi grinned, clearly agreeing. He sat on the stump of a nearby fallen tree, rooting through his stuffed parcels to examine the pair's merchandise.

"I don't remember buying all this! Did you slip me some rocks or something?"

"No, but I did happen to notice one of our bags had ripped. Good thing it didn't have the glass in it, right?"

"Mary, that's the last time I'm carrying you anywhere."

Laughing along with her, Takumi continued to set the items on a blanket Mary had placed on the ground. There were decorations for their quarters, candles with exotic fragrances, scrolls that were written in a language Takumi didn't understand. When he rifled a bit more, his hand closed on a loose slip of paper. He read the few sentences written in neat handwriting, and immediately his heart sank to the bottom of his chest.  
 _  
Dear Takumi,  
You recall the joke we played on Mary, where we fooled her into thinking we were in love? In all truth, that was a merely a ploy to feign confession and hide my feelings.  
I think it is, indeed, a reality that I may be in love with you. Truly, ___I've been meaning to tell you this ever since I laid eyes on you._ You didn't see me today, but I was strolling the square earlier. I slipped this into your bag once Mary had ripped hers, so it wouldn't be lost.  
Please, come and see me once you're home, so we may discuss this further and in private. I look forward to seeing you.  
-Leo._

"Takumi? Hey, are you still with me?"

Mary's voice sent Takumi into a panic. He nodded furiously, crumpling the letter in his fist.

"Y-yeah. Just… I'm trying to figure out how we're going to take all this home, haha. I hope you're… you're okay with carrying half…"

His voice was trailing away, even though Mary wasn't looking at him. She was enthralled by watching a colorful bird picking the ripest berries it could find off a nearby shrub. While he had the chance, Takumi forced himself to read the letter once more, enough to remember the details, and then silently tore it to shreds. The parchment was mercifully thin and made little noise while his wife's back was turned.

"Of course." Mary said, her voice distant. Whether from the bird or Takumi's change in mood, he didn't know and wouldn't waste time inferring. He stood up, straightened his tunic and handed Mary the bulkiest item, an empty pauldron. She took it without saying a word, and Takumi shuddered under her searching gaze.

"Everything alright?"

"What? Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"

Even as he said this Takumi could feel his panic increasing. If the cursed side of him took over, he knew he would kill anyone who was the closest, innocent or otherwise. He needed to stop worrying, and now. Mary's vacant voice could not have been a more welcome distraction.

"Well, I hope so. There is a little something I wanted to tell you, anyway."

"Yes, g-go ahead. I'm all ears." To himself the archer whispered, "Please, not about the note…"

"You didn't see Hinoka at supper last night, did you? Or Camilla?"

"Huh?"

He'd forgotten about the dinner until then, yet Takumi realized Mary was correct. Neither of the two women had shown up to the meal until nearly everyone had finished, and they'd even shared a table.

"Maybe they were just embarrassed about earlier. Hinoka did almost catch us."

"Yes… I suppose she's cross with me. Her and I haven't spent a day together since…"

Mary tried to remember, shame clouding her eyes when nothing appeared in her mind.

"Since I first arrived here. Gods, I can't neglect my siblings any longer. I'll have to find them tonight and apologize."

Takumi's eyes narrowed a little, and his voice became a little less remorseful.

"You don't need to do that, Mary. They have each other, right? And they shouldn't expect you to stick around when you have a husband and two children. Isn't that a bit much?"

"All the same, it's only right that I do."

They'd reached a wooded area, and with the exertion of navigating it, that was the end of that conversation. Takumi once again became too absorbed in the strange letter to argue further anyway. He was sure that Mary would suspect a reason behind his quiet spell, but at least she had another topic to distract her. Maybe he could get to the bottom of the strange confession before any damage could be done.

* * *

 **Sorry, Mary, but it might already be too late to apologize to your sisters for not spending time them. Don't worry though, they're quite happy with each other! And besides, you'll have something that'll take your mind off guilt very soon.**


End file.
